Monday, June 30, 2008

Parents' Association Ends Year on a Positive Financial Note

The PA ended the 2007/08 school year on a very positive financial note. During the 9th Grade Orientation Night on June 3, the PA received $723 in dues donations from new parents. In addition, we sold $260 worth of school logo items such as the string closure gym bags and ballpoint pens. Many thanks to volunteers Oriel Sanchez, Maria Tejada, Latchman and Noemi Harrilal, Tara Joshua, and Nevis Almeida for helping welcome the new parents.

That success was followed on Saturday, June 7 when the PA hosted a table at the 116th Street Festival. The Festival was a wonderful chance to extend MCSM’s reach into the East Harlem Community, connect with former students, and even raise money by selling bottled water and sodas to the tune of $260. Thanks again to event organizer Deirdre Rose and volunteers Mark Davis, Adriana Martinez, and Noemi and Latchman Harrilal and their super-salesman son (and future MCSM student?) Matthew.

By the end of June, the PA had donated to the Senior Yearbook (a half-page ad for $175), awarded its two annual scholarships of $150 each, and made four mini-grants of $400 each to the Science Department, the Math Department, the Advanced Science Research Program, and the Library. Even after these donations back to the school, totaling nearly $2,100, the PA ended the year with over $2,500 in the bank. This is undoubtedly the PA’s best financial standing in a decade, but we’re looking for even more and better in 2008/09.

PA and SLT Election Results


As a consequence of the May 13 PTA election being ruled invalid by the District Family Advocate for District 4, a revote was held at the June 12 Parents’ Association meeting. The PA Executive Board for 2008/2009 school year will consist of the following parents:

President – Steve Koss
Co-Vice President – Deirdre Rose
Co-Vice President – Loisen Jacobs
Secretary – Tara Joshua
Treasurer – Nevis Almeida

Following that vote, another election was held to choose as many as four of the six elected parent representatives to the SLT (School Leadership Team) for 2008/2009. Five parents were nominated, but due to a tie for the fourth spot, only three representatives were chosen: Sherrand Hawker, Rosalind Lee-Nelson, and Nevis Almeida. The remaining three spots will be voted upon at the September 9 PA meeting. While any MCSM parent can run for membership on the SLT, the vote in September will give interested incoming 9th grade parents an opportunity to be represented. All are welcome.

One additional election took place that evening. By unanimous voice vote, parents approved the designation of Ms. Lore Barcelona as MCSM’s Title I parent representative. A required Title I Alternate will be sought at the September 9 PA meeting.

The PTA Is Now a PA (Parents' Association)

The June 12 PTA meeting opened with a discussion of the future direction of the Parent Teacher Association. Co-Vice President Deirdre Rose explained that the Executive Board at its May 29 meeting had addressed this question and voted in favor of converting the current PTA to a PA, or Parents' Association. She further explained that the only substantive difference between the two organizations is that, under a Parents' Association, only parent members (including guardians and other caregivers) are considered voting members of the association. Under a PTA, parents and teachers are both permitted to vote on most matters other than parent representation on the SLT.

Following discussion among those present, Mr. Larry Davis, the District Family Advocate for District 4, administered the voting by paper ballot. By a vote of 22 – 9, parents approved the conversion of the PTA to a PA. Effective immediately, the parent organization at MCSM is now a Parents' Association. Bylaw changes will be prepared over the summer and presented to the parent membership in September.

Independent Consultant's Review Gives MCSM Air Quality a Thumbs Up

Thanks to a $5,000 legislative grant from State Senator Jose Serrano, NY Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) has engaged Peter M. Strauss & Associates on behalf of MCSM parents (with the approval of the Parent Association) to review as independent consultants the December 2007 and February 2008 air quality test data previously reported on by Con Edison and the NYS Department of Health (DOH). In a memo dated June 23, 2008, Mr. Strauss reported the qualified good news that, in his judgment based on the data collected by Con Edison and the DOE, “there is not an immediate hazard to health.”

While parents, students, and teachers can breathe easier based on Mr. Strauss’s review, his evaluation is not without concerns. To begin with, he noted that, “While there is not immediate risk to occupants of the school, these data do signify the sad state of the air we breathe, both indoors and out of doors.” He continued by noting that Con Edison’s tentative plans to install a sub-slab depressurization system rather than removing the contaminants means that, “inspections and air monitoring should take place so long as the building is occupied.” Unlike previous presentations from Con Edison and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Mr. Strauss also expressed concern about the presence of coal tars spreading from under the building out below the school grounds and beneath the Harlem River. This will likely be the subject of further discussion in the coming months.

The Parent Association anticipates that Mr. Strauss will provide further comment on Con Edison’s plans once they have released their formal remediation analysis and recommendations in September or October. His June 23, 2008 memo will be made available to all MCSM parents at the September 9 PA meeting or upon request from any interested parent. A copy of this memo is also available for downloading from this website by clicking on the “Information for MCSM Parents” link.

MCSM Captures Two Spring Sports City Championships!!


The Spring sports season brought Manhattan Center two amazing and hard fought City Championships this year, one for Girls Varsity Softball and the other in Boys Tennis. Both teams worked their way through very successful regular seasons on their way to the playoffs for the City’s championship rounds.

The Girls Varsity Softball team, seeded fourth in the Division B tournament, batted aside Washington Irving in their opening playoff game by a score of 13 – 2, following that with a 19 – 1 shellacking of Brooklyn Tech, a nailbiting 9 – 8 victory over the HS for Construction, and an upset, 6 – 4 win over top-seeded Forest Hills HS. That win set the stage for what turned out to be a three-game playoff against #3 seed Flushing HS. The Lady Rams knocked off Flushing by a 14 – 4 score, but the Queens representatives came back as winners of the losers’ bracket to face MCSM again in the finals on June 8. That morning, the Flushing girls pulled out a come-from-behind, 6 – 5 win over MCSM, setting up the afternoon game taken by the Lady Rams, 11 – 4.

Junior Herminia Thabet had a simply awesome year, recording a .500 batting average for the season as well as pitching her way to a 14 – 0 record with a 2.57 ERA and 118 strikeouts in just 68 innings. She was backed up with an amazing offense led by Celia Soto (So., .700 BA, 7 Hrs), Thay Ling Moya (Sr., .636 BA), Jennifer Perez (Jr., .614 BA, 6 Hrs), Astrid Cruz (Jr., .576 BA, 1 HR), Tiffany Kennedy (Sr., .560 BA, 1 HR), Emeline Rivas (Sr., .563 BA, 3 Hrs), Jasmine Osorio (Sr., .548 BA, 1 HR), Nuris de la Cruz (Jr., .533 BA), Sirina Nagi, (Sr., .500 BA), and Ernestine Grant (Sr., .450 BA). The team’s eagle-eye award goes to Jr. Antoinette Nery who had four hits in ten official at bats while collecting an astonishing 18 bases on balls. Congratulations to Coach Randolph Cantor and the entire Lady Ram softball team.

The Boys Tennis under Coach Mitchell Weinfeld experienced equal drama in reaching their Division B City Championship. After successive dominating 5 – 0 playoff wins over Newtown and Dewitt Clinton, the MCSM team eked out a tough 3 –2 win over Jamaica HS to reach the City final showdown against William C. Bryant, played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Erick Fuentes, playing at #1 Singles, opened the match with an easy 6 – 1, 6 – 3 victory over his Bryant opponent, giving MCSM a quick 1 – 0 match lead. At #2 Singles, Do Hyun Kim lost a hard fought 6 – 2, 2 – 6, 4 – 6 match to tie the match score, but Russell Bari, playing at #3 Singles, reclaimed the lead for MCSM with a 6 – 2, 6 – 1 demolition of his Bryant opponent. When Qi Guan and Jeremy Mathias at #1 Doubles fell 6 –2, 6 – 2 to Bryant, the stage was set the deciding match at #2 Doubles. Rahul Patel and Pias Malaker claimed the opening set at 6 – 0, dropped the second set 3 – 6, and finally came back to claim the third set at 6 – 3, giving MCSM a 3 – 2 match victory and the City’s B Division Tennis Championship. Congratulations to Coach Weinfeld and his players for a great season.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

PTA Meeting - Date Change, PTA Elections




PTA MEETING
THURSDAY, JUNE 12
6:00 P.M.

(Please note change of date from Tuesday, 6/10 to Thursday, 6/12)



1. DISCUSSION AND VOTE ON POSSIBLE CONVERSION FROM A PTA (PARENT/TEACHER ASSOCIATION) TO A PA (PARENT ASSOCIATION)

2. ***** REVOTE OF PTA ELECTION *****
(Mr. Larry Davis, District Family Advocate for District 4, instructed us that last month’s vote was invalid.)

3. ELECTION OF SLT REPRESENTATIVES FOR 2008/2009

4.
ELECTION OF TITLE I REPRESENTATIVE AND ALTERNATE



PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE
TO THURSDAY, JUNE 12

(Moved due to conflict with Senior Awards Night. There will be no PTA meeting on Tuesday, June 10.)